Son and mother awarded $53 million for medical malpractice

An out-of-state jury recently awarded $53 million to a boy, as well as the boy’s mother. The award was for a 2013 medical malpractice suit that had been filed against an out-of-state hospital. During the boy’s birth, he suffered a serious brain injury at the hospital. In Maryland, when a patient similarly suffers at the hands of a medical professional, he or she, or his or her family, is often legally within his or her rights to file a medical malpractice suit.

The jury’s award to the mother and son included $28.8 million for his future long-term care expenses. The boy, now 12 years old, has severe cerebral palsy, needs his mother to feed, as well as clothe, him and needs a wheelchair. This was the largest birth injury verdict that was ever handed down in the county in which the suit took place, according to a local source.

The suit outlined around 20 alleged missteps that doctors and nurses at the University of Chicago took. The suit alleges that these mistakes — including the failure to monitor the mother and child carefully, as well as many others, induced hypoxia, which occurs when an individual’s supply of oxygen drops. Included in the damages was $7.2 million for the boy’s future medical expenses. The mother was relieved, saying that the award will ensure her son will receive the care he needs once she dies.

For medical malpractice to have occurred, typically, the victim’s injury must have severe and damaging consequences. When medical malpractice leads to overwhelming damages that include enduring hardship, suffering, living in constant pain, disability or loss of income, Maryland victims typically choose to consult experienced personal injury attorneys. During a consultation, an attorney will assess whether the incident in question that resulted in either harm or death could be considered malpractice.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Jury hits U. of C. hospital with $53 million malpractice verdict“, Becky Yerak, June 30, 2016